Valencia Orange, Dinan Stage 3, no reserve: a 1M at $73,000

The 1M was a one-year car, and only 983 were delivered to North America. This one is one of 435 North American cars in Valencia Orange Metallic, over black Boston leather with orange stitching, with the twin-turbo N54 six, six-speed manual and M differential. The window sticker shows it was delivered new to Devon Hill Motors, right here in Pennsylvania, at $49,935.

In November 2015 it got a Dinan package: Stage 3 engine software, a high-capacity oil cooler, a carbon-fiber cold-air intake, an upgraded intercooler and a free-flow exhaust. The maintenance since was thorough and dated: starter and a turbo in 2018, coils and plugs in 2024, brakes in 2024 and 2025, and the water pump and injectors in 2026. The removed factory parts came with the car.

Why we went no reserve

Modifications split the 1M market. Some buyers want a stock car and nothing else; others see a well-documented Dinan car as a known quantity. A reserve on a modified car tends to scare off the first group and doesn’t reassure the second. No reserve invites both, and lets the bidding settle the argument.

So we made sure bidders had every fact. Eighty-eight photos, the full Dinan parts list and install date, the window sticker, the owner’s manual, service records, a clean Carfax, and the flaws in plain language: touch-up paint on the bumpers, a scratch on the right quarter panel, a cracked underbody panel. Paint-protection film on the front end was noted too.

The auction

The auction drew 8,161 views, 1,036 watchers and 38 comments. Twenty-four bids came in, and the car sold on Wednesday, August 5 at 1:41 in the afternoon for $73,000, about $23,000 over its original sticker.

What the number means

Only a handful of 1Ms cross Bring a Trailer in a given month, which makes each result count. In the six weeks around ours, a 13,000-mile car sold for $80,000 in July and a 24,000-mile car for $71,500 in late June. Nine days after ours, a 2011 1M sold for $55,500, and two days after that a 12,000-mile car was bid to $74,000 and didn’t sell.

Put those together and ours holds up well: a modified, 35,000-mile car brought within $7,000 of a 13,000-mile example and more than a 24,000-mile car sold in June. The color helped, the paperwork helped, and no reserve made sure every buyer who wanted an orange 1M was in the room.

If you own one

The cars that bring top money on Bring a Trailer share three things: honest condition, complete paperwork, and a listing that answers questions before they’re asked. If you have a 1M, an M car, or any modern BMW you’ve been thinking about selling, we’ll tell you where it fits in the market and what we think it will bring. We’re a Bring a Trailer Local Partner and we handle everything from photography to the last comment.